Dirty Boats, Clean Fishing: The Story Behind DirtyBoat Charters

Why people search “dirty boats” and land on us

I get a kick out of the search data. People type “dirty boats” or “dirty boat charters” into Google, and they end up on our page. Some of them are looking for us on purpose. Some of them typed it not knowing that DirtyBoat is a real charter operation out of Islamorada, and they figured it might be a joke. It is not a joke. DirtyBoat is one word, capital D, capital B, and it has been the name of a working charter boat in the Florida Keys for a long time.

So if you found this post because you were fishing around for “dirty boat charters Islamorada” or just “dirty boat,” welcome. Here is the full story, the current setup, and how to actually book a day on the water.

Where the name came from

The original DirtyBoat was a 1995 32 foot Blackfin Combi Express. It was bought by a guy named Joe Sabe. When Joe took delivery, the boat was, plainly, dirty. Not “needs a wash” dirty. Actually filthy. Joe had every intention of scrubbing her down, sorting out cosmetics, and renaming her something respectable.

Then he ran a few real charters. Clients started asking for “the dirty boat” by name when they called back to book their next trip. The name stuck. Joe never repainted the transom with something fancier. DirtyBoat it was, DirtyBoat it stayed.

That is the actual origin. No clever marketing agency, no branding session. A dirty Blackfin and a captain who ran out of time to rename her.

The boat today: DirtyBoat 2.0

The Blackfin is long gone. What we run now is DirtyBoat 2.0, a 42 foot Custom Liberty Express, full tournament rigged. Twin diesels, full tower, kite rigged, outriggers, tuna tubes, live well, dual transom doors, air conditioned cabin. Garmin electronics, radar, VHF, sat phone. She is built for the kind of fishing we actually do, which is offshore.

If you have looked at other charter boats in the Keys, you have seen a range. There are backcountry skiffs poling the flats for permit and bonefish. There are bridge boats hunting tarpon around Channel 5 and Long Key. There are reef boats that stay inside on the patches all day. All of that is legitimate Keys fishing. It is not what we do.

DirtyBoat is offshore. Reef, edge, Gulf Stream, and the Humps. That is the whole program.

What we actually fish for

Depends on the season, but the target list runs like this:

• Sailfish in winter, kite fishing with live goggle-eyes on the edge
• Mahi in summer on the weedlines and floaters
• Wahoo year round, high-speed trolling or live bait depending on conditions
• Blackfin tuna year round, especially on the Islamorada Hump (22 miles SSE of Robbie’s) and the Marathon Hump (37 miles south)
• Kingfish through the cooler months
• Yellowtail, mutton, mangrove snapper on the reef
• Grouper on bottom drops
• Swordfish on deep drops, day trips out to the Gulf Stream

The spots we work are the usual honest names: Alligator Light, Davis Reef, Hens & Chickens, Crocker, Pickles, the south end of Molasses, Tennessee Reef Light, and 409 down toward Marathon. Nothing exotic. Just the spots that produce when you know how to read the conditions.

How we compare to other charter boats in the Keys

I will not talk down other operators. There are a lot of good captains between Key Largo and Key West. Islamorada alone has dozens of full time charter boats, and the Islamorada Charterboat Association (I sit on the board) exists specifically to keep the standard high.

What is different about DirtyBoat is pretty simple:

The boat is tournament rigged, which means when you charter her for a normal day, you are fishing off the same setup we take to Cheeca Presidential, Gold Cup, and the winter sailfish tournaments. Same kite reels, same outriggers, same tuna tubes, same electronics.

The captain writes the weekly Florida Keys fishing report for Keys Weekly newspaper. That means I am on the water constantly, and I know what has been biting this week, not last month.

We are conservation minded. I am the Vice President of S.A.F.E. (South Atlantic Fishing Environmentalists). We release what should be released. We keep what makes sense to keep. If you want to fill a cooler with every fish that comes over the rail, we are probably not the right boat.

Rates and how to book

Straight numbers, no games:

• 6 hour offshore: $2,000
• 8 hour offshore: $2,400 (the standard trip, and what I would book if I had one day in the Keys)
• 10 hour swordfishing: $3,200 (deep drop specialty trip)

Tackle, ice, bait, and fuel are included. You bring food, drinks, sunscreen, and a cooler if you want to take fish home. Full pricing and calendar is at /rates-and-schedule/. If you want the deeper dive on the boat and how we run, /islamorada-fishing-charters/ has it. If you are a party of two or three looking to split a charter with another group, /split-charters/ explains how that works.

To book, call or text (305) 209-5594. That is my real number. If I do not pick up, I am on the water. Leave a message with dates and party size and I will call back that evening.

We are at Robbie’s Marina, Mile Marker 77.5 on US-1. Same dock as the famous tarpon feeding, same parking lot as Hungry Tarpon Restaurant. About 25 to 30 minutes south of Key Largo, or 25 minutes north of Marathon. Come hungry, come early, and let’s go find some fish.